Should be taken with food. Take with meals to avoid GI discomfort.
Enhanced effect with other drugs that prolong the QT interval.
Acutely ill patients suffering from systemic disease manifested by tendency to develop granulocytopenia (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus). Concurrent use with other potentially haemolytic drugs or depressants of myeloid elements of the bone marrow. Concomitant admin with mepacrine.
Abdominal pain, gastric distress, nausea, vomiting; methaemoglobinaemia, haemolytic anaemia (in patients with G6PD deficiency), mild anaemia, leucocytosis; HTN, cardiac arrhythmias, prolonged QT interval on ECG, accommodation disturbance. Rarely, leucopenia, agranulocytosis.
Pregnancy Category C. Safe usage of this preparation in pregnancy has not been established. Primaquine is contraindicated in pregnant women. Even if a pregnant woman is G6PD normal, the fetus may not be. Animal data show toxicity to reproduction.
Lactation: It is not known whether Primaquine is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants from Primaquine, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.
Patient with G6PD deficiency, NADH methaemoglobin reductase deficiency. Childn. Pregnancy and lactation.
Symptoms of overdosage of Primaquine phosphate include abdominal cramps, vomiting, burning epigastric distress, central nervous system and cardiovascular disturbances, including cardiac arrhythmia and QT interval prolongation, cyanosis, methemoglobinemia, moderate leukocytosis or leukopenia, and anemia. The most striking symptoms are granulocytopenia and acute hemolytic anemia in G6PD deficient patients. Acute hemolysis occurs, but patients recover completely if the dosage is discontinued.